Leec Kaku: Forgotten Fields
by Iridescent Hope
Summary: A year after the Shifter and Kraken were defeated, Arianna finds a strange message hidden in a stone...
1. Prolouge

Prologue

The mare stood on the edge of a seemingly endless plain, the edge only because no unicorn had ever stepped hoof beyond. A wind blew, rustling the fair smelling sweet green grass and causing a shiver to run down her back, tousling the emerald mane. 

"It's always the Seconds, isn't it? You've stopped remembering, stopped caring, stopped _pretending_ to care, so now we're left to pick up the pieces. Only I'm being called back, and with my replacement, what will you do? Who will fill my place? Or will a gap be made in the Final Protection…?"

There was no answer to her question. Snorting, the mare reared, moss hooves flailing through the air, jaded-sage muscles rippling from anger. She landed, only to spring forward, churning the ground beneath her as she traveled away from safety, away from the known, into the **un**known. 

_I will not be USED! I am NOT a BEAST of burden! Do NoT tHiNk YoU cAn CoNtRoL mE!_

~(~*~)~

"The world is dying beneath us, beneath them, and they think they can stop it alone. What do they know? What do they think they can do, think they can stop?

"The Seconds are forgotten. And so the Darkness will descend again. The minds of the Enclosed will be forgotten, the breath of the First will be choked, and the Royal One will be Killed.

"… What do they think they know?"

~(~*~)~

_Everything was dark as it surrounded her, burying itself deep into both mind and soul. Images flashed by, burning themselves into her memory, but at the time she couldn't think about it. Couldn't think about **anything. The pain was too much for her. Her mind was blacking out, was gone-**_

_-but it wouldn't let her. It wouldn't let her go away, oh no no no, that would be too **nice, that would be taking the pain away. The pain was driving her insane. But she couldn't get away. It wouldn't let her. No, it wouldn't let her.**_

~(~*~)~

"I don't want to kill anymore." The girl stood up, robe falling away from her body. Bloodstains covered her back, her back, her back was pulsing, growing, and there was a horrible ripping noise…

Two wings shot out from her as she screamed. "_Ke! Bfuiju! Fiso _Atalanta,_ Fegs Numinor! Sunchaser! __Bfuiji, sek'p iliksek hu…!" A sob tore from her throat as she fell to her knees. The wings, blood-stained and black, folded themselves back into her, the skin mending instantly._

"Arianna…_ bfuiju jimu hu rgeh pwaj wuff…"_

~(~*~)~

Stifling a scream, Arianna sat bolt upright in her bed, sweat running down her forward. A dream. Everything had just been a dream. There was no reason to be scared of a dream, especially one as crazy as that. They didn't make sense, and they could **never come true…**


	2. Chapter One: Wubf

Chapter One: Wefb

"It's been over a year Chase. Since he was defeated…" Musing to herself, Princess Arianna rubbed her eyes sleepily, slowly getting out of bed. Walking to the window and glancing outside told her that it was at least past ten, but she felt that she should allow herself at least that luxury. Every now and then she should be allowed to over sleep, right? Especially after those dreams from last night…

Shuddering, Ari hugged herself. "A year. And yet we still haven't found my parents. We haven't even found the Forgotten Fields. Why Chase? Why haven't we?" There was no response to her question. Not like she had expected one. True, the Sunchaser was bonded with her, and true he could hear her thoughts, but two days ago he had left with Finn on a scouting mission up near Sixton. Activity had been reported from the Valley of Fear, and both of them wanted to confirm and end the reports.

"Which leaves me alone. I should have gone with you. But I'm the Princess now, and I have to think of myself, don't I? I have to think of myself… but I have to think of others. Oh Chase, I don't get it! I'm so confused! Why isn't anything going the way it's supposed to?"

"Maybe because the Princess has gone crazy and is talking to a window?"

Startled, Ari turned around. Lori Carmichael was standing there, a small smile on her face. 

Out of all of them, Lori was the one who had changed the most. For the most part, Ari still looked the same: Flowing bronze hair that now fell past her waist and deep bronze eyes, matching her perfectly with Chase. She hadn't grown much and felt that she was destined to remain her petite height of 5 feet 4 inches for the rest of her life. To make up for that, though, her mouth and jaw were stubborn, giving the impression that no one would be able to scare her or talk her out of anything.

Lori, on the other hand, would be unrecognizable for any who knew her prior to Balinor. She had shot up, coming close to but not quite passing Finn's height of 5 feet 8 inches. Her hair was still cut short, but this time in a boy's cut, bangs spiky and forward while the back grew out to her chin, and her eyes had lightened to a pale, almost icy blue. A smile was almost always on her face and nothing ever seemed to get her down. 

Even now, though she was separated from her Finn, her boyfriend, she was still happy and smiling. Something that Ari, though she would never admit, deeply envied her for. "Really Princess, are we going to need to find a Balinorian mental institution for you soon?" the other girl teased. Ari couldn't help but scowl.

"Lori, I have enough problems to deal with. I don't need you mocking me," she snapped, glaring at Lori. Used to this, the blond only shrugged.

"Well, suit yourself Highness. But, if you ever feel like pulling yourself out of your little depressive shell, Linc found something that he wants to show you. I think you should see it too – it looks like a clue to where your parents and brothers are. But-" Lori never had a chance to finish the sentence.

"What? Where?! Is it really a clue? Oh Lori, if you're making this up just to be mean I'll… I'll put you in the dungeon!" Grabbing the taller girl's shoulders, Ari shook her, eyes wide. "What is it? Where is it? Take me there!"

Gently prying Ari's hands off of her, Lori shook her head. "First things first Princess. You need to change into something a little more… modest than what you're wearing." Blushing, Ari nodded. She was still in her bedclothes – not something she would want to be seen running around the castle in. "Second, Linc has it. We'll be down by the stables, near Whisper's stall. That was where he found it. Ari, you've got to calm down. This could just be nothing. Don't get yourself too excited." 

She nodded like she was listening. Truth be told, Ari really didn't care what Lori had to say. She had found a clue to her parents. She just _knew _that it would lead her to her parents. Lori could say all she wanted about how it may not be true, but Lori was wrong. This was what she was waiting for. This was just what she needed to start looking!

Motioning for the other girl to leave, Ari stripped off the thin gown and threw it haphazardly onto the floor. Grabbing a green cotton dress from her wardrobe, she pulled it on, following it by a dark blue cloak and dark brown boots. Turning to leave, she stopped when she caught sight of the small scabbard that held her father's knife.

_I'm not going to need it. I'm just going down to the stable. _Even so, she couldn't help but grab it, tying it securely to her waist.

"You're not going to just leave me here, are you?"

"Oh, for the love of - Yes, I am scepter. I don't need you constantly talking all the time. And I don't always need your help!" Before the small wand could respond, Ari left the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

~(~*~)~

_Everything's gone so wrong Chase. I don't get it. I thought you loved me. Why did you abandon me here?_

_Ge says that you had to. That there was an obligation you had to fulfill, but I thought she was to take your place. She said that she was, but Atalanta and Numinor are ignoring them. So we're stuck here. _

_But I don't get it Chase. I thought you _loved_ me. Why haven't you come to look for me? It's been so long, waiting here… And I'm getting scared. Or, at least I was. I think I'm used to it by now. _

_You don't know what they've done to me. I don't think you'd recognize me. But Ge says that you will. But Ge also says that you have another girl now. So maybe you'll ignore me, even if you do recognize yourself._

_I think I know how to solve this, though. Atalanta and Numinor are the ones getting in the way. If we get rid of them, then Fy and Iy can take over. And then you can come back to me, and this girl, whoever she is, she can have Ge for the time. Ge agreed to that. _

_Don't worry Chase. I'll get you back. Then we'll be together forever. _

_Won't we Chase?_

~(~*~)~

"All right, so where is this clue?" Smoothing out the skirt of the dress, Ari walked up to the two, her face set into a stern expression. "I swear, if this was some sort of sick joke-"

"Relax M'lady," Linc interrupted, his normally joyful eyes now sad. "This isn't a joke…" He sighed. "You've changed so much since then. Sometimes I wish the Shifter was still around, just so we could have the old Arianna back."

She opened her mouth to snap a response at her when she realized, with a shock, that her dog was right. She had changed, and most likely not for the better. But, still… she was the Princess now. She really was. She had all the responsibilities to take care of, while they had none. Except… except, that wasn't true. They were both in charge of something, she had just never bothered to find out what.

Why had she changed? 

"… where is this clue?"

"It's this." Lori held something out to her. Gingerly, Ari took it from her.

It looked like a small green gemstone, an emerald perhaps. A chain that appeared to be made of some sort of silver was attached to it and, holding it up, Ari realized that it could be a necklace. It looked familiar, somehow…

"It kinda looks like the ruby necklace that had held Chase's jewel, doesn't it?" Nodding slowly, she realized Linc was right. That was why it looked so familiar. 

"But how is this a clue to where my parents are?" 

"Touch the emerald." 

Confused, Arianna complied with their strange wishes. And gasped, dropping the necklace onto the ground.

A smoky image rose from it, pale and translucent. After a few moments it seemed to solidify, showing the image of a man and a woman standing next to each other. The man was taller, taller than the woman, though from the image it was impossible to guess a height, and his hair was a bright, vivid blond, cut short. The woman seemed almost frail with light brown hair, cut at her shoulders.

Arianna gasped again. Her parents!

"_Puff pwuh umugopwakt." It was only then that she noticed a girl standing behind them. Squinting, Ari tried to make out the details on her, but she was standing too far in the background for her to be able to._

The man, her father, spoke. "Arianna, honey… If you hear this then it means that you've defeated the Shifter. Which is wonderful sweetie. I only wish I had been there for you. I… I wasn't though. Shifter has taken me away. And I know you won't be able to find me." Here he falter and her mother took over.

"You see, Atalanta and Numinor forgot something. They forgot their promise. And as soon as they fulfill that promise we'll come back. Everything won't be… won't be the way it used to be, but that's not our fault. Really honey, it's theirs. This wouldn't be happening if they hadn't forgotten."

"_Puff wug ileup Sunchaser."_

Both man and woman grimaced. It was her father who continued this time. "You see… Chase, he-"

"Tell Atalanta and Numinor to go through with their promise, their obligation. Then you'll see us again, us and Tace and Bren. Please honey." Her mother interrupted before her father could finish. 

"What about Chase?" Arianna whispered. The gem held no more answers for her, though. The image faded, leaving nothing more than a slight trace in the air of where her parents had stood.

"… tell Atalanta and Numinor… Lori, Linc, up for another adventure?"  


	3. Chapter Two: Nekryjaek

Chapter 2: Nekrygaek

"No M'lady, absolutely not! I forbid it! You can forget about it right now, there is no way that I am letting you leave!" 

"Dr. Bohnes-"

"No!"

Arianna stared in shock at her old nurse. The woman, who had seemed to age almost a hundred years in only one, was barely topping five feet now. Her hair, or what was left of it, was thin, wispy, and almost translucent, barely covering the top of her head. The strain of the final battle with Shifter had been too much of her, and her once proud body was nothing more than a crippled shell, hunched over and dependent upon a cane for movement.

And yet still she defied her. The old woman, who had helped raised the Princess, had brought her through the Gap both ways, who had helped at more than one occasion in the battle against the Shifter, now balked the Princess from her journey.

"You can't stop me." The old woman stiffened at this and, drawing herself up to her full unimpressive height, Dr. Bohnes glared at the stubborn girl. 

"I can and I will stop you. I will _not _allow you to endanger yourself on such a frivolous and silly quest! If you _insist upon leaving you will have to wait until Finn and the Sunchaser returned from their expedition down in the Valley of Fear!" Snorting contemptuously, the woman added: "At least _they're _getting something useful done, unlike you who just wants to chase after a silly message."_

Lincoln and Lori, who had followed Ari in when she had announced that they were going to leave on another adventure, exchanged a quick look. Dr. Bohnes hadn't seen the message in the emerald – for some reason it didn't work when they tried to reactivate it, or make the magic work again, or however the mechanism operated. 'Hologram', Lori had said confidently, but both Ari and Linc had looked at her like she had grown two heads.

So it really was only natural for the wizard to believe that Ari was making this up. Over the past year she had grown more and more desperate for any sign of her parents, and it wasn't hard to imagine her coming up with some cockamamie story about seeing her parents in a unicorn's jewel. Both of them knew better, however, but interfering with a verbal battle between the Princess and the Royal Wizard would have been a very dangerous thing. 

"A silly message? You think I'm that… that… You think that I need to see my parents so badly that I'm making things up now?" A look of shock and hurt was etched onto Ari's face, but the wizard seemed entirely unaffected by it.

"Yes. Not only do I think that, I'm nearly positive of it. I asked you to show me this message, this 'video' as you called it, and all you showed me was a pretty stone attached to a chain. Not very informative or magical if you ask me. Pah! The stone didn't even come from a unicorn's horn!"

There was no reply. There was nothing that the Princess could say. The person closest to her, the one she nearly considered to be her grandmother, the one who had guided her through times that had been so hard and so impossible, felt that she was lying for attention. Feeling the tears beginning to prick the corners of her eyes, Arianna turned and fled back to her haven, her room, where she could cry freely and alone. That was how she always was, anymore. Alone. 

~(~*~)~

_The woman was tall, even for her kind. Well over six feet tall, she towered over almost every other female of her kind, save for the one that would never come to her. Not in this form, any ways. Ivy-green hair flowed down to her shoulders, contrasting sharply with the vivid lavender of her eyes. Both colors seemed unnaturally bright against her skin, skin that was pale and translucent, skin that gave her the appearance of the walking dead._

_Oh, how close they were. _

_She walked slowly into the room, the emerald satin gown that wrapped itself around her body swishing delicately with every step she took. She knew that from appearances she screamed wealthy, happy, and content. They were wrong, but it wasn't their fault. Or maybe it was – didn't they put her here? Shouldn't they know?_

_Why haven't they rescued her from this hell yet?!_

_The young girl was waiting for her in the middle of the floor. Slowly rising up from her kneeling position, she turned and faced the woman. "Ge! You made it! I'm glad!" Bronze hair framed her face, curling up under the chin. It matched her eyes perfectly, giving her face a permanent tanned look. A small dress hung off of her thin frame, exposing her dirt-smudged arms. A pair of torn and dirty cotton pants covered her legs, and large leather boots that rose nearly to her knees covered her feet. "Did you deliver the message?"_

_The green-haired woman nodded. "Yes, I personally…" Her voice trailed off and she grimaced at some memory. "…personally made sure that they would receive it. I doubt that there's any way they could possibly miss it."  _

_"Good." The girl nodded. "I don't want to think about what we would have had to've done if they didn't get it. Do you think they'll listen to the message? Or do you think they'll ignore it like they did?"_

_'They'.__ Never were they referred to by their real names, except during the nightmares that the girl had, tossing and turning and screaming out, begging for them to look back on her. But never, other than that. "I think that the girl will pay attention. And what she wants she will eventually get."_

_"Good…"_

~(~*~)~

The mare snorted and tossed her head, the ornate 'bridle' jangling loudly. Eyes the same color of the sun just before it sets, a deep burning orange, rolled back, exposing the whites. "We," she stated, stopping and stamping the ground with her hooves. "Are lost." 

The girl on her back swore and flicked a strand of sky-blue hair back behind her ear. "But we _can't be lost." Her voice sounded slightly petulant and weary, the voice of a person who had been traveling for too long. "Iciliana, you said you knew the way. And __now you've gotten us lost?"_

"I got us lost? And who was the one who insisted we take that side-trip down into the village? You can't blame me for not knowing where to go from there."

Sighing, the girl dismounted, wincing as her joints cracked from the sudden movement. "Then I guess we take a break here, for the night. It's not like wandering around will help us anymore. Do you want me to untack you?"

"No." She wasn't surprised at the mare's response – for the past week she had been declining the offer. "We're close. I can feel it… they cannot know." Blowing gently into the girl's hair, she added: "Do not worry about me Seda. I have survived worse things than simply traveling before."

"Okay…" Hugging the mare around the neck, Seda stepped back to look at her. Awe filled her to know that she was traveling with such a beautiful unicorn: Sapphire blue melted into sky of her mane, almost perfectly matching Seda's hair. Her eyes were a stark contrast to the rest of her, but that was what she loved the most. That and her horn, a crystal so clear that it was nearly impossible to see. The jewel at the base of it was clear diamond, proof of her heritage. A Royal, or maybe something even more wonderful…? 

The tack that was on the mare consisted of a bridle with a metal nosepiece, covering the top of her muzzle and extending to her forehead, ending in a point between her eyes. Her neck was uncovered, but from there a blanket covered her, ending at the tips of her hooves. On her back was the outline of a saddle. It looked extremely uncomfortable, but Seda wasn't a unicorn. Maybe it wasn't as bad as it appeared.

"What are we supposed to do when we find?"

The mare, Iciliana, blew hard. "… we don't do anything. Not at first. We find out how much they know, how much they all know… we search for the missing one, and then, only then can we begin to fully plan what our next move is. Aki is…"

"Don't say it." Seda placed a calming hand on the mare's neck. "Spies are everywhere. Don't say anything that may get you in trouble."

"Wise, for being so young." Sighing, she lowered herself down to sleep in the manner of a foal. "No fire tonight. We are too close." Nodded, Seda sat down and curled up next to her. 

"Too close… too close indeed."


	4. Chapter Three: Seda

Chapter 3: Seda

Arianna sat by her window, staring out blankly at the meadows and fields the rolled out over the expanse of her view. That was one of the supposed perks of being a princess – you got one of the best views in the kingdom. Not that a good view really ever did anyone any good, but it was also a useful conversation piece. But what was the point of seeing everything if she couldn't see the one thing she wanted to most of all?

The Sunchaser and Finn were due back either sometime late this evening, or early the next day. She tried to tell herself that they would either come while she was sleeping or before she woke up, that they wouldn't appear galloping over the hill while she watched out the window, but it was hard to completely squelch the last bit of hope that stubbornly clung to her heart. She wanted so very badly to see the two of them. After all, it had been two days since she had seen either of them, and, while his heart would never belong to her, Ari knew that her heart belonged to Finn. 

She would never begrudge them their love, or at least she would always try her damnedest not to, but Ari still hurt from the day she found out about Lori and Finn's relationship. No one knew that she was in love with the red-headed boy, or at least she prayed that no one did. She didn't want pity or comforting words. She wanted Finn's arms wrapped around her, but that was something she now knew she would never get. Not the way she wanted. And all the riches in the world and all the power that she may command would never make him fall in love with her. He had chosen and he chose Lori over Ari. 

That was something people would never know, and even if they did it was something they would choose to never see. Their precious princess couldn't even win the heart of the man that she knew she was lost to, but they expected her to rule a kingdom by herself successfully. And without complaint. She couldn't; she was far too weak and far too inexperienced for something like that. She just wanted to be a child, to play with Chase and forget to worries of the world. But no one would allow her to, and no one was willing to help. 

There was a shape, a movement, a figure moving towards the castle. Forgetting her promise to herself that wouldn't she wouldn't get her hopes up Ari leaned out her window, intent on getting a better look at whoever or whatever it was that now rode towards her. It was a horse, a unicorn, and rider, but even from this distance Ari could tell that the unicorn wasn't Chase and the rider wasn't Finn. Disappointed, she moved back and sank into the chair that she had pulled up to the window, sighing. It was just another rider, passing by the castle. Why would anyone want to stop here? It was dreadfully boring. 

The sound of hoof beats soon became audible and, after about a minute or so, began to grow louder. Curiosity rising in spite of herself, Ari leaned back out the window to watch the unicorn and rider. It appeared as if they were actually heading towards the castle, not just by it. And what interesting people they had to be, by the looks of it. The rider had vivid blue hair, something she hadn't seen since she had crossed over from the gap, and the unicorn was wearing a long blanket, hampering its movements but effectively covering its coat. Why?

Ignoring Dr. Bohnes' orders, Arianna stood up and left her room, going out by the front gate to meet her strange visitors. It was about time that something interesting happened here. 

~(~*~)~

Tobianno lowered his neck and took a sip of the waters from the river, completely unaware at the moment of what was going on. He hadn't realized yet what any of it had meant. The signs, the warnings; why hadn't Atalanta told him?

A horrible shudder wracked his body, causing him to jerk his head up and cast a frightened gaze around, as if trying to locate the perpetrator of some crime among the Celestial Herd. Atalanta simply _wouldn't_ have done that, would she? 

  
Disturb by his sudden thoughts, the two-toned gelding took off, heading for the Watching Pool. He had questions. She would give the answers. 

~(~*~)~

_"Mirror, mirror, on the wall…" The copper-haired girl stared boredly at the blank wall, slowly beginning to frown. "This is taking forever. Isn't there a way we could speed things up? Or at least a way that we could watch what was going on?"_

_Ge nodded, bowing lowly to the girl. "We could get rid of the old woman. That would spark the girl and her friends into action. However, it is advised that we do not take that course of action, as she would eventually find out that we were behind this and any chance of friendship between the two nations would be gone. A warning has been sent to the Lost One. As for watching, we have the pieces of the Shifters old Watching Bowl. We could fix it and have it ready for you to view."_

_"Do that." The girl paused and looked thoughtful, mulling over the rest of what the woman had said. "Killing the old woman would set the nations to war… but isn't that what I want? I just want Chase back. I really don't care about what happens to anyone else. If it'll get them moving faster, then do it. Get rid of the old woman."_

_Ge bowed again, sighing. "As you wish and command, m'lady. It will be done."_

~(~*~)~

The two-toned gelding stood in front of the Twilight Mare, anger flooding over his entire body. "You… You never told me… all this time when he's been in danger, when we've been ignoring them, and you never told me!"

The lavender mare seemed frightened of the gelding, an emotion that seemed so very wrong for this situation. This was Tobianno, not the Shifter, not Kraken, not Kylie. He was not something that she needed to fear. And yet, still, she shrank back when he advanced, nostrils flaring, tail whipping back and forth wildly. She had done something wrong, something terrible, and now she was going to pay for it.

"How long has it been since you cut off communication? How long have they been suffering?"

"… nearly a year. Almost immediately after Kraken was defeated."

Tobianno glared at Atalanta, grinding his teeth together and struggling hard to resist the urge to charge her, spear her with his horn, gut her, kill her. She may have been one of _ them_, but that didn't mean that she deserved to die. She may have done something horrible, but at least she admitted to her. There was no point in spilling more blood. "_A wepu oey gep ak wuff."_ Snarling this, he turned and galloped away, heading towards the Crystal Arch. 

~(~*~)~

"Icy, we're here. We made it. We're at the castle." Excited, happy, and grateful that their long journey was now over, at least for the moment, Seda dismounted less-than-gracefully, her knees wobbly as she hit the hard ground. It had been a while since she had finally gotten a chance to take a break from the saddle, and it wasn't like she had been the world's greatest horsewoman even before this adventure started. "Do we go in or knock somewhere to let people know that we're here?"

"You don't have to. I saw you coming." Arianna stepped out from behinds the shadows, offering a smile to the two travelers. A cloak was draped over her shoulders, hiding the scepter and the small rapier that were hidden in the folds of her skirt. "We haven't had many visitors, not since the final battle. What brings you two here?" 

"Um, well…" Glancing over to her companion, Seda found no help there as Icy leaned down and started grazing, ignoring her friend's plight. "We need to speak with the princess, Arianna. Could you please tell her that we're here, or take us to her, or something?" Iciliana started laughing, bobbing her head up and down, but Seda failed to see just what was so funny to the blue unicorn. It was obvious that she had made a blunder somewhere, but it wasn't like she had any help or knew what to do in social situations. 

"…" The girl started to laugh as well, causing Seda to frown. "Oh please, I'm sorry, I don't mean to be laughing at you, it's just that this hasn't happened in such a long time that, in some ways, it makes me so happy that it did. You see," she added, the laugh still caught in her voice. "I am the Princess Arianna. I suppose you're just going to have to settle with me." 

"… oh. You are the Princess. That's… nice. I'm so sorry that I'm an idiot." Bowing down, Seda could feel her face beginning to heat up, a sign that she was most definitely blushing. But who wouldn't be in a situation like this? She had just insulted the princess by implying that she appeared to be some sort of maid or stable hand. And she did, to be honest, but that wasn't something that you let the Princess know! You didn't demand that she go off and fetch the real princess like she was some kind of imposter. And damn that unicorn! She knew what was going on; that's why she was laughing! 

"It's okay, Miss…?"

Before Seda could say anything Iciliana raised her head, looking Arianna straight in this eye. "This," she said, speaking for the first time to the woman. "Is the Princess Seda, of the Forgotten Fields." 


	5. Chapter Four: Regteppuk

Chapter Four: Regteppuk

Hatred ran through Tobianno's veins as he galloped towards the Crystal Arch, hooves pounding and tearing at the emerald green grass beneath him. Everything about the Celestial Valley seemed to be poison to him now: The beautiful clear sky, the grass, the flowers, the simple peacefulness that seemed to surround it. It was all so wrong; it shouldn't be this way but he had forgotten. That was the curse, the problem. And Atalanta and Numinor had simply stopped caring. 

"Where are you going?" Pausing, the gelding slowly and glanced over at Rednal, who was now trotting quite contentedly next to him. The black-and-white unicorn rarely ever had important business to attend to. Why Atalanta had chosen him to help aid the Princess during her time of need was something that only Atalanta knew. Maybe. There was another reason, one that Tobianno was beginning to believe was the truth. But he didn't want to think about that, not right now.

"I'm going down to Balinor. Something… bad is happening. And I need to stop it, before it gets beyond any hope of control." That was the truth. Stopping at the start of the Arch, he pranced, tossing his mane and flicking his tail. It was the truth and yet he still didn't want to do this. The anger that had pursued him and enraged him so earlier had already faded to a slightly burning numbing ness. If he left the Valley, chances were that he would never get to return. "I… I have to leave Rednal. I really do."

The Crimson stallion stared at the other, confusion etched all over his face. And yet, and still… he understood. There was something going on here, something that he wasn't privy to. But Tobianno needed his help, needed his encouragement, and the stallion would be damned if he wasn't going to give it to him. Nudging the other gently, the red one offered a small smile. "Then go. Nothing's holding you here, except for yourself. Don't let your fears stop you from doing what needs to be done. You can be brave. You are brave."

Relief almost visibly washed over the gelding as he nodded, bowing down and letting the tip of his horn touch the ground in front of Rednal's hooves. "I won't forget this. I won't. I won't let myself. And I'll return this favor… some day." With those words as parting, he whirled around and reared, ebony hooves reaching for the sky. Landing with a dull 'thud' he took off, clattering down the Crystal Arch and to the world below. 

Rednal could only watch with wonder as the gelding galloped off. Something deep was going on here, indeed, and he had a feeling that before it was all said and done he himself would be returning to the world below. Something new was threatening the fate of Balinor and he would be damned if he just say on the sidelines and watched the others fight the fight themselves. 

~(~*~)~

_"Is the spell complete?" Jumping up from her seat upon the 'throne' in the room, the copper-haired girl ran over to the emerald woman, a cruel, almost demanding expression on her face. "You said that you would get rid of the older one. Have you completed the spell to do that?"_

_The woman nodded, pain flickering across her face. For a moment, a star-shaped scar that marred her forehead seemed to glow, a burning sensation seeming to pulsate from it. "Yes M'lady. I have completed the spell. All the needs to happen is for her to touch the stone, and then she will be dead. And it will work only on her, so you don't need to worry about anyone else being harmed."_ _It wasn't like she actually would be worried, but the woman wanted that fact known so that she wouldn't be blamed for that later on. It wasn't really like there was a worse punishment that could be inflicted upon her, though._

_The girl nodded. "Good. I wouldn't want for Chase to be hurt, though I doubt any spell of yours could do any permanent harm on him." Anger crossed the woman's face at that. At this time, yes, maybe it was true, but when her full powers came back the stallion had better watch himself. He was the cause of all of her problems and she'd rather go to hell than let the mighty unicorn go free, unharmed. "Don't worry Ge. I won't forget you when he comes back."_

_"You plan to give me to the other Princess, Arianna." A thought crossed her mind. "What about the other girl, Seda? The Real? What do you intend to do with her?" The 'princess' scowled._

_"What can I do with her? I can't kill her and Iciliana is with her. I can only pray that whatever she does doesn't interfere with my plans. Besides…" The girl paused and looked thoughtful. "If she really starts to get in the way I can always threaten to kill Fi. That'll stop her." A chill ran down the woman's spine at these words._

Xwuk sas oey jpeb luakt pwu tagf A ckex iks jpigp luakt pwaj hekjpug?

~(~*~)~

The two girls stood in the stable, the bronze-haired one leaning against one of the stall doors, the sky-haired one leaning against the mare with the same colored coat. An awkward silence was held firm between the two by a few simple facts: Neither really knew each other or knew what to say, and the sky-haired one's grasp of 'English' wasn't the best. Stroking the mare's neck, she whispered a few words into her ear, causing the mare to stamp her hoof and shake her mane. 

"Lady Seda-"

"Just call me Seda."

"-Why did you come here, from the Forgotten Fields?" There was something oddly familiar about the name of that place, something that Arianna couldn't quite place. "I've heard of it before…"

"Everyone's heard of it and everyone's been there but no one can remember and no one's actually seen it." The words came from the mare who cocked her head and eyed Ari, who simply stared at her in return, confusion evident in her eyes. "We were forgotten, a long long time ago. Hence the name." There was a bitter edge to her otherwise blunt tone, hinting that something else was going on, something that Ari couldn't even begin to comprehend. "But terrible things are starting to happen and we can no longer afford the luxury of ignorance. Action needs to be taken."

Ari's brown eyes moved from the blanket-clad mare over to the girl, Seda, the princess. "Might I ask what you have to say on this subject?" The girl frowned, staring intently at Iciliana's neck. She began to chew on her lower lip, a nervous habit that even Ari could recognize.

"… I'm not that… fluent with English," she finally said after a moment. "Phrases, I've memorized, but I normally have Icy speak for me. It's… easier that way." Pauses filled the gaps between her words, pauses that became drawn out and almost agonizing as Ari waited to hear the end of the forced speech. "The Sunchaser is in danger." Another pause, this one seeming to last an eternity after the previous statement. "We are here to… help him."

"How could Chase be in danger? He is the lord of the animals… he isn't even here!" Seda shrugged. The task of explaining was on that was far to great for her impaired speech to handle. Instead, she looked at the mare, waiting for her guidance.

Iciliana snorted, shaking her sky mane again. "There is much that you do not know about the world Arianna, and it is not due to ignorance on your part. Secrets have been kept hidden from this world, the Outer world, for a long time simply because they feared us. They wished to keep us hidden far away from the rest of the world, where our power would fade and their power would grow. Except it hasn't happened that way and now they are beginning to fear the consequences." She had begun to pace during her speech, hooves clattering on the hardwood floor of the stable. Seda drew away from her, leaning against a stall door to a gelding named "Beecher". It was story time and Seda was interested in hearing just how everything played out. Even she didn't know the entire history and she was playing an integral part in it all now.

"The world had been created a long long time ago by two forces. Good and Evil, Light and Dark, they needed each other to exist and over time to began to develop to distinct personalities: The Old Mare of the Mountain and Kraken, the Spider. Each was playing off of man's own perception of good and evil for there was always man, ever sine time began. Without man the world would not be what it is today." Here the mare paused, allowing for her words to sink it. "Take that as you will.

"Two bands of unicorns were born, the Firsts and the Seconds. There were three kingdoms to be ruled: Heaven, Hell, and Earth. Heaven became known as the Celestial Valley, Hell the Forgotten Fields, and Earth split itself into many worlds and kingdoms of its own, Balinor being only one of them. Humans, of course, took control over Earth, as was there right. And it was left to the unicorns to decide who would go to Heaven and who would go to Hell.

"An agreement was made. For one year a time would the herds live, one ruling the Fields and one ruling the Valley. At the end of the year's time they would switch, Firsts moving down to the field, Seconds moving back up to the valley. And in order to make sure that this agreement would never be forgotten, one unicorn of each herd stayed with the other, a constant living reminder." Here she lapsed into silence, her words echoing around the room.

A pregnant pause followed her statement, neither girl wanting to be the first to break the silence. But it was, in the end, Arianna who spoke up first. In the distance the sound of a dog barking could be heard and she perked up. "That's Lincoln," she said excitedly. "This means that Finn and Chase must be home!"


End file.
